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I couldn't help but notice a correlation between the onset of Spring and faster growth with the Nep seedlings I planted from 10/21/2012 to 01/15/2013. Oddly it seems that the smaller the propagation box used the faster the seedlings grew or another way to look at it would be the smaller the seedling group the faster the growth. Maybe they psychically do things to retard each others' growth in a competitive environment. :0o: I started with the 72 cell units and once the algae started having a negative effect I moved them to the smaller clear plastic cookie boxes from the grocery and again after the algae threatened they were moved once more to clean cookie boxes and then a month later to individual 1.85" net and plastic pots in the pictures. I started last Fall with coconut coire and with the first move to cookie boxes used a NZ Sphagnum / Peat mix. The second move from cookie boxes to clean cookie boxes I used straight NZS not being satisfied with the coire or sphagnum / peat mix thinking they both increased algae problems. For me the straight NZS milled through 1/4" hardware cloth proved to be the best medium with very little algae growth taking place and this Fall if I decide to do seeds again this will be the medium of choice. As far as moving seedlings a number of times goes I noticed no slowing of growth and even the ones with accidentally broken tap roots continued growth was observed.
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There are some ampullaria with the red pitcher/green peristomes in this lot but only time will tell if they are in fact as advertised.
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These smaller ones were moved to individual pots later than the previous pictures:
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These smaller ones were moved to individual pots later than the previous pictures:
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The 2 aristolochiodes hybrids below obviously don't need cooler night conditions and are thriving in 80-93 degree, 74-85% humidity conditions.
Nepenthes spathulata x aristolochiodes
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Nepenthes maxima x aristolochiodes
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The aristolochiodes, naga, singalana and bongso seedlings are very slow growing compared to the ampullaria's and rafflesiana's.
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Well, you need to remember that plants (like most organisms) have a circadian clock that observes the environment and plans what to do next, i.e. flower or divide or enter dormancy, based on information such as the length of days and nights. Possibly the conditions you've given your plants have stimulated them to grow as if it were the growing season (which it is). Then again, pretty much any time of year is the growing season for these plants. Perhaps maybe the peak of the growing season.
 
true but most nepenthes grow where there isnt much of a change in seasons
 
Last Fall I set the timer on the fluorescents to come on at about 6AM and shut off at 2AM and with a South facing 2' x 8' skylight on the roof they got plenty of light all winter. It's most likely that with the sun getting higher in the sky each day and finally shining directly down into the bathroom / green room and temps getting closer to the 90's the low and intermediate elevation Neps decided to party. Over the winter the HE Neps were placed in an unheated room and since Spring arrived I have been moving the high elevation ones into the wine cooler I bought a month ago at night and am now seeing improvement in their condition. There was about 30 days before the cooler arrived that they spent the night in the rack with the others at between 80 and 92 degrees and I saw growth slow or stop altogether. My thriving hamata dropped it's pitchers and stopped growing so I replanted it into new NZS before placing in the cooler. It has lost about half of the root system in that short period of time with elevated temps but now appears to be stable. The villosa arrived about the same time as the cooler and is actually showing a very slight increase in the new leaf it came with but then I am not expecting much change from it for a while. The macrophylla also stopped growing during the hot month and is just now looking better than ever after spending a month of nights in the 50 degree cooler. This is all interesting to me watching cause and effect play out and now being sold on the wine cooler method intend to add a large thermo-electric cooler to the setup. I will worry about size accommodation later.
 
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